What 1:1 UGC Mentorship Actually Looks Like, Session by Session

People ask me what actually happens in a mentorship session, and I get why. "Coaching" can mean anything from a pep talk to a slide deck. So I want to walk you through it plainly: what we look at, in what order, and what you leave with.

I have been doing UGC for 6+ years, I am still working with brands every month, and I have done 1000+ brand deals. Mentorship is where I take that and point it at your work specifically. Your portfolio, your pitches, your rates, the brand conversations you have open right now.

By the end of this post you will know how a working session runs, you will have the prep sheet I ask every mentorship student to fill out, and you will have a pitch rewrite you can copy the logic of today, whether you ever work with me or not.

Why I keep mentorship small

Mentorship is the most detailed work I do. In one session I might read a portfolio three times, rewrite a pitch twice and go clause by clause through a usage-rights request. That only works when I am not rushing.

So I take on a small number of private clients at a time. It is by application, and I would rather tell someone "here is what to do first" than take them on before they are ready.

Who mentorship is for (and who it is not for yet)

Here is the honest filter I use when I read applications.

It is a good fit if:

• You have at least one UGC sample and a portfolio in progress, even a rough one
• You have sent pitches, or brands are replying and you are not sure what to say back
• You are quoting rates, negotiating usage rights or a retainer, and you want someone to look at the numbers with you
• You can do the work between sessions: filming, editing, pitching, following up

It is not the right step yet if:

• You have not filmed a single sample. You do not need private coaching to make your first video. You need to make it, and a course or a weekly group call will get you there for far less.
• You want someone to find brands for you. I will help you find and pitch them, but you do the sending.
• You are looking for a promise. Mentorship is coaching on your work, not a promise of brand deals or income.

If you are in the second list, that is fine. The next step is building, not one on one feedback.

How the first session runs: strategy and goals

The first session is 60 minutes, and it is the only one that is mostly listening. Before we talk, I have already gone through what you sent me.

We cover four things:

1. Where you are now. Your portfolio, your current rate or rate card, how many pitches you have sent and what came back.
2. What you want. Not "more deals." Which kind of brands, what kind of work (one-off videos, ads, retainers), and at what rate.
3. The gap. Usually it is one of three things: the portfolio does not show the work the brands you want are buying, the pitch is not getting opened, or the rate conversation falls apart after the brand replies.
4. The first three actions. You leave with a written plan and three specific things to do before we talk again.

The prep sheet I ask for before session one

This is the exact list. If you want to coach yourself through a session, fill it out anyway. Half the clarity comes from writing it down.

• Your portfolio link, and the one video in it you are proudest of
• Your current rate, or the last number you quoted, and what the brand said
• Your last five pitches or brand replies, copied in full, including the subject lines
• Three brands you want to work with in the next 90 days, and why each one
• One conversation you are stuck on right now, with the last message from the brand
• What you can realistically do each week: how many videos you can film, how many pitches you can send

Filled out honestly, it usually shows the problem before we get on the call.

How a working session runs

Every session after the first is a 45-minute working session. The pattern is the same each time: we start with what you did since last time, we work the most important problem, and you leave with the exact next thing to send or build.

Part one: the portfolio read, done the way a brand would

I open your portfolio the way a brand manager does, which is fast. A brand looking at a creator page is often checking a few things in under a minute:

• The first video. Does it start with a hook in the first two seconds, or with you saying hi?
• Range. Is there a talking-to-camera video, a product demo and a lifestyle or voiceover piece, or is it the same format five times?
• The niche match. If you want skincare brands, is skincare the first thing I see?
• The ask. Is there a clear way to contact you, with your email visible?
• The order. Your best video goes first. Not your newest one, your best one.

Most portfolio fixes I make in sessions are not "film more." They are "move this video to the top, cut these two, and rename this section so a brand knows what it is looking at."

Part two: the pitch rewrite, line by line

This is where people are usually most surprised, because the changes are small and specific. Here is a worked example. The creator and the brand are made up, but the pattern is one I see every week.

The original pitch:

Subject: Collaboration

Hi! My name is Jordan and I am a UGC creator. I love your brand and would love to work together. I make high-quality content for brands. Let me know if you are interested! Here is my portfolio.

Nothing in that email is wrong. It is just invisible. Here is how I would walk Jordan through it.

• Subject line. "Collaboration" is what every other pitch says. We rewrite it to name the product and the format: "3 UGC ad ideas for the vitamin C serum."
• First line. "My name is Jordan" tells the brand nothing they need. The first line should show you have looked at them. "I saw your serum ads are mostly product shots on white, and the one with a person talking to camera has the most comments."
• The offer. "High-quality content" is a claim every creator makes. We replace it with something concrete: "I would film a 20-second morning routine video with the serum, with a hook in the first two seconds, plus two alternate hooks you can test."
• Proof. One link, to the one video most like what you are offering. Not the whole portfolio and a "let me know."
• The ask. A small, easy yes. "Want me to send the three hook ideas written out?"

The rewrite:

Subject: 3 UGC ad ideas for the vitamin C serum

Hi Sam, I noticed most of your serum ads are product shots, and the one where someone talks to camera has the most comments. I would film a 20-second morning routine video with the serum, with a hook in the first two seconds and two alternate hooks you can test. Here is a similar skincare video I made: [link]. Want me to send the three hook ideas written out?

Jordan

Same creator, same brand. The second one reads like someone who already understands their ads. If you want more structures like this, my post on UGC pitch email templates has several you can adapt.

In a real session we do this on your actual pitches, and then we write the follow-up together, because the follow-up is where a lot of deals actually get booked.

Part three: the rate and usage review

The third piece comes up once brands start replying. A brand says yes and then asks for "usage rights for 90 days," or wants to run your video as an ad from their account, or asks for raw footage. This is where creators either undercharge or freeze.

In a session, we go through the request line by line:

• What they are actually asking for. Organic posting on their page, paid ads from their account, ads from your account (whitelisting), or raw files.
• How long. 30, 60, 90 days, or "in perpetuity," which you should almost never accept at your base rate.
• What it changes in your quote. Usage and whitelisting are priced separately from the video itself. I explain the difference in detail in my post on usage rights versus whitelisting.
• How to say it back. We write the reply together, in your words, with the number and the terms in one clear message.

I do not hand people a rate. I help them build one they can explain, because a rate you can explain is a rate you can hold when a brand pushes back.

What you leave with after every session

After every session you leave with:

• A written action list: the exact pitch to send, the video to film, the reply to the brand, with a timeline
• The changed pieces themselves: a revised portfolio order, a rewritten pitch, a drafted reply
• One thing to stop doing: sometimes the biggest change is cutting the task that is eating your week

At the end of the mentorship you get a 30 to 60 day plan: what to pitch, at what rate, how often, and what to drop.

Four weeks or twelve

There are two lengths. The four-week mentorship is one 60-minute strategy session and three 45-minute working sessions, which suits a creator with one clear problem, like a portfolio that is not converting or a pricing conversation they keep losing.

The twelve-week mentorship is twelve weekly sessions across a full quarter of your deal flow. It also includes the full UGC Pro Accelerator, the UGC Business Kit, a written audit of your portfolio when we start, and email reviews of your pitches, rates and contracts between sessions. That suits someone who is actively pitching and wants a second set of eyes on every conversation as it happens.

Either way, you apply first, and nothing is charged until you are accepted and we pick your dates. The current terms are on the mentorship page.

A note on outcomes

Results vary. Nothing here promises brand deals, clients, or income. What I can promise is that we will look closely at your actual work and you will know exactly what to change next.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a big following to apply for UGC mentorship?

No. UGC is about the content you make for brands, not the audience you have. What I look for is at least one sample and a willingness to pitch. Follower count does not come up in the application.

What is the difference between mentorship and a UGC course?

A course teaches the system, and you apply it on your own. Mentorship is me looking at your specific portfolio, pitches and brand conversations and telling you what to change this week.

How long is each mentorship session?

The first session is 60 minutes for strategy and goals. Every session after that is a 45-minute working session. Both are private video calls.

What should I prepare before my first session?

Your portfolio link, your current rate or the last number you quoted, your last five pitches or brand replies in full, three brands you want to work with, and one conversation you are stuck on. The prep sheet earlier in this post is the exact list.

Will mentorship get me brand deals?

No one can promise that, and you should be careful of anyone who does. Mentorship is coaching on your work: the portfolio, the pitch, the pricing, the replies. Whether a brand books depends on things neither of us controls, like their budget and timing.

If you want to work on this together

If you read the first list and saw yourself, you are already doing the work, and you want someone to look at it with you, the mentorship might be a good fit. I take on a small number of private clients at a time because the work is in-depth, and it is by application, so you tell me where you are and what you want from the next few months before anything is decided. You can read how it works and apply here: 1:1 UGC Mentorship with Gianna.

If you are not there yet, that is okay. Make your first sample, send your first five pitches, and come back when you have something we can work on together.

Gianna